If she can't fly, she wouldn't last long on her on, so you're doing the right thing to 'adopt' her.

I don't use 3 different rearing containers, just one, at least, one type - I have a lot of these on the porch in varying sizes. I don't like to crowd the caterpillars, so they have plenty of space to move around.

I clean my cages, which are mesh over a PVC frame, in a water/bleach solution, only about 10% or less bleach. You can kill the AIDS virus with a 10% bleach solution, so you don't need anything stronger, and bleach is hard on everything it cleans. A laundry container is thinner than the mesh my cage covers are made of, so even this weak solution may cause it to deteriorate a bit. Still, you need to disinfect them periodically.

There are many ways to raise caterpillars. I'd advise you to research all the different methods, then do what you like best and what works best for your cats. I put the host plant material in left overs containers (plastic) that have holes punched in the top and water added. So it's like putting the plant material in a vase with a very small, tight neck - you don't want the cats to crawl into the water and drown! I raise mine on my shaded porch, which works best for me. Some people raise theirs in the house. I like my butterfly cages (actually, they're intended for reptiles, like iguanas) because they zip up, and there's plenty of room for the butterflies to exercise their wings before I release them.

Good luck, and keep asking those questions! :)

Sherry

Thank you for the answers. I feel like a first time Mom..all nervous and jittery LOL. I love these guys though. This is so rewarding.